All Together, All Alone

This happens every fall. We start classes, I get busy, forget about my blogs. This also happens every fall – I start wandering aimlessly across campus during the day, and I am always surrounded by people, but none of them are speaking with each other, and everyone is very absorbed in their business.

I am continually surprised by how serious everyone is here in Ann Arbor. I tried to organize another big public pillowfight last week, but it didn’t work because nobody showed. I don’t know why this happened, but the cynic in me wants to say that everyone is too busy this term for fun. I guess I kind of am, too. My heart wasn’t in it this time, and I have to say that I didn’t care a lot that it didn’t go down. A little disappointed, but on the whole unsurprised and nonplussed.

I am too busy for fun too. I go about my business during my day with a great sense of purpose, as if everything that I am doing is enormously urgent. (On the other hand this gets me out of socially awkward situations I would rather not be in – can you come to my [insert event]? No, I’m busy with [insert reference to the fact you are rushing around here].) But at the same time I think it kind of sucks the life out of you. I feel weird that I haven’t written anything in this blog recently, for example. Maybe that will change. The first two weeks are always chaotic.